ROUND 1 DONE AND DUSTED FOR THE WOMEN OF THE WEST

By KEL ROWE

The 2023 VU Polytechnic Senior Women’s Competition officially kicked off on Friday night, with Division 2’s Point Cook taking on a newly reformed Braybrook side. The Doggies won comfortably, registering 8.18-60 over the visitors 2.2-14. Jennifer Tang hit the scoreboard for Braybrook and was named in best. Yasmen Roe and Emily Laidlaw were influential for Point Cook, both registering 2 majors for their side.

 

Saturday morning saw a plethora of games played out across both Division 1 and 2. In the latter, the Laverton Magpies were defeated by West Footscray, with the Roosters lodging a comprehensive 76-point victory. Roxana Sefton’s speed on the outside was significant for the visiting side, whilst Tania Anthony was dangerous in front of goals, bagging 5 majors.

 

In their first outing, Spotswood’s Division 2 side went head-to-head with rivals Caroline Springs, defeating the Lakers by 20-points. Mia Graf, Tamsyn Kirk and Tui Huta starred, with the Spotswood side putting on a dominant 4th quarter performance to seal the victory for the Wolves.

 

New kids on the block Parkside Spurs made their WRFL debut — narrowly going down to Caroline Springs by a single point. Stacy Rigon kicked two majors for the Spurs in the hotly contested match, whilst Lakers captain Caitlin Pretty bagged a double and was named amongst the best.

 

It was the “Battle of the Bridge” for Division 1 sides Spotswood and Yarraville Seddon, with the suburban bragging rights secured by Spotswood in a 67-point upset. Whilst unable to register a major score, the Eagles were represented well by Ann-Marie Geary and Madeleine Patterson, both named in best. Chloe Weston-Sirett and Molly Althouse both kicked two for the Wolves, with the former building on their 2022 form.

 

Rounding out the weekend of play was the Sunday afternoon hit-out between Wyndhamvale and North Sunshine. The Falcons were dominant for all four quarters of footy, claiming the victory with 24 unanswered goals. The North Sunshine defensive unit had their work cut out for them — with the ball rarely spending time south of the Falcons’ forward 50. Sister’s Mariah and Rachael Burton proved to be a dynamic duo in the middle, linking up well with their forward line for the commanding win.